Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart were songwriters-for-hire back in the ’60s, penning hits for Jay and the Americans (“Come a Little Bit Closer”) and the Monkees (“Last Train to Clarksville,” “I’m Not Your Steppin’ Stone,” “Valeri,” and “(Theme From) The Monkees”). They also recorded a few tunes on their own, including 1968’s “I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight” and today’s classic…
Continuing with our avian theme for one more day (yesterday’s song was Paul McCartney’s “Bluebird,” with the Beatles’ “Blackbird” the day before that), today’s classic song of the day is “Mrs. Bluebird” by a group called Eternity’s Children. This one’s a little more obscure than either of Paul McCartney’s bird tunes—and it’s likely that many of you haven’t heard it…
Remember Rupert Holmes, the guy who did “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)?” Well, he’s the brain trust behind today’s classic song of the day, a little-remembered tune titled “Jennifer Tomkins.” Credited to a non-existent studio group called the Street People, this single hit the Billboard charts in January of 1970 and peaked at #36. Rupert Holmes wrote “Jennifer Tomkins” along…
I’m happy to present today’s classic song of the day, “Happy.” No, not the 2013 tune by Pharrell Williams, from the Despicable Me soundtrack. This “Happy” was a single back in 1967 that was a minor hit for two different groups at more or less the same time. Radio play and record sales were much different back in the ’60s.…
When you were younger, did you ever have to choose between two equally appealing girls? (Or, if you’re a girl, two equally attractive guys?) I never had the good fortune to be in that situation, but apparently John Sebastian was, and he wrote today’s classic song of the day about it. As the lyrics so neatly put it: Sometimes there’s…
For some reason, I always thought that today’s classic song of the day was a Partridge Family song. I mean, it has that same sort of Baroque pop sound, the title is as vacuous as anything churned out by the P. Family’s hired songwriters, and the lead vocal sounds vaguely teen idolish. Really. The problem is, “Sit Down I Think…
In honor of Mark Volman’s passing, today’s classic song of the day is the Turtles’ “She’s My Girl.” Released in October of 1967, this one peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100—even though some radio stations banned the song, thinking the line about morning glories was some sort of drug reference. Mark Volman was born on April 19, 1947,…
Celebrating the return of the Turtles to SiriusXM radio, today’s classic song of the day is “Elenore.” Released by the Turtles in September of 1968, this single peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the Cash Box Top 100. You might not have noticed, but for many years the Turtles’ music was effectively banned from SiriusXM…
Today’s classic song of the day is a vocal gem from the Association. The song is “Windy” and, when released in May of 1967, it went to #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100. (It was also a number-one hit in Canada.) “Windy” was written by Ruthann Friedman, a San Francisco-based songwriter. Here’s what she…